# Basket Pipe or Dr.Grabow



## Fordun (Apr 30, 2011)

So far i own three pipes all Dr.Grabows i bought from my local walgreens and all of them are smallish straight rusticated pipes and while they smoke good im looking for some a change.

First off i want to get a bigger pipe since my biggest Dr.Grabow smokes so well but i also am a bit sick of this carving rustication and straight pipes.

Now last time i was in Walgreens i saw a straight rusticated pipe but with a bigger bowl and a metal band on the shank that i like.

Now this saturday im heading over to my a pipe shop but im a bit limited on funds so i have to limit my search to basket pipes.

I was wondering if i should risk getting a crappy basket pipe and possibly get something i really like or settle for a new Dr.Grabow and know ill get and exceptional pipe.


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## mmiller (Nov 17, 2011)

If you want a bigger Dr. Grabow try and look for the Dukes they are bigger and I dont think they cost much more than the other ones. If you want a basket pipe just make sure it is drilled well and made out of briar and it should be fine. Good luck!


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## Kenny_Jo (Dec 14, 2011)

Depending on your budget..
You can either go to ebay (less budget) or pulversbriar (more).
I am very sure you can get a better pipe with the same price.


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## JustOneMoreStick (Sep 21, 2009)

One of my favorite pipes is a briar basket pipe. Just make sure that it is drilled with the draft hole at the bottom rather than further up the bowl.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

The Dr Grabow Big Pipe is the biggest in their line. I have one, it's a great pipe. I recommend ordering directly from them...last newsletter they sent said they even still have Vikings available!
dr grabow smoking pipes, tobacco pipe cleaner sparta nc

If you want to keep your budget in check, have you considered adding a couple of cobs to your rotation? They're fantastic smokers. Missouri Meerschaum Company


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

gahdzila said:


> The Dr Grabow Big Pipe is the biggest in their line. I have one, it's a great pipe. I recommend ordering directly from them...last newsletter they sent said they even still have Vikings available!
> dr grabow smoking pipes, tobacco pipe cleaner sparta nc


There's nothing there that I can find to actually order anything directly. :ask:


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Personally, I'd recommend you get a quality estate pipe from a reputable dealers like pulversbriar.com or smokingpipes.com. $30 - $40 dollars will yield a pipe that is already broken in, a proven smoker, was likely much more expensive when new, and still has a lot of life left in it. If you really want new, but the budget is really strained, go for one of these:
Savinelli Naturals Pipes with Vulcanite At $40 they're a bargain.


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## Deviate (Jan 2, 2012)

ChronoB said:


> If you really want new, but the budget is really strained, go for one of these:
> Savinelli Naturals Pipes with Vulcanite. At $40 they're a bargain.


Assuming that's what I bought (can't post pics just yet so someone can confirm it - it's significantly darker than the naturals I've seen online), I like mine quite a bit. Seems well-made, smokes well... Granted, it was my first pipe and I haven't even had it a week yet. I'm pleased with it, though. I still enjoy smoking it, even after picking up a second Sav that was double the price.


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## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

freestoke said:


> There's nothing there that I can find to actually order anything directly. :ask:


Oops, sorry, I should've been more clear. Click the register for info link at the top of the page, fill it out, and they will email you a price list and an order form (which you print, fill out and mail to them with a check). They emailed me the first one a few months ago, but they snail mailed an updated one to me recently.


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## Fordun (Apr 30, 2011)

Thanks for all the replys guys and in my mind cobs are a bit of a temporary pipe.

I don't want to offend any cob smokers and i know that they smoke great but i just don't want to buy a pipe that is intended to break.
As for ordering online ive ruled that out since id rather go to the shop and hold the pipe in my hands and really see how it looks and feels before i buy it.
I decided a good brand for me would be Kaywoodie since they are cheap,good smoking,and seem to have alot of variety.
Never the less im going to check things out tommorrow hopefully and if anyone has even been to Leavitt and Peirce in Harvard Sqaure Boston MA let me know since i am hopefully going to make a stop there.


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## Leucrocotta (Dec 11, 2011)

A couple of things that I noticed after purchasing the wife's pipe and mine (both baskets, and first pipes) : Baskets can be good/acceptable... but beyond a tight stem and a draft hole in the bottom of the bowl, also make sure the stem properly reaches the bottom of the mortise, and make sure that the draft hole is centered in the mortise rather than being off to one side (unless its lopsided in the tenon on the stem as well, then make sure they appear to line up). 

Now, my second and third pipes were estates, and they are very good pipes. So don't rule out looking in the estates either, just keep on eye on the brands as well. They were also really reasonably priced.

That's my two cents.


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## Fordun (Apr 30, 2011)

Im also wondering if i should jump on anything that has "Italy" or "Made in Britain" stamped on the bowl...Or are there any good signs of quality on a basket pipe.


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## mmiller (Nov 17, 2011)

Fordun said:


> Thanks for all the replys guys and in my mind cobs are a bit of a temporary pipe.
> 
> I don't want to offend any cob smokers and i know that they smoke great but i just don't want to buy a pipe that is intended to break.
> As for ordering online ive ruled that out since id rather go to the shop and hold the pipe in my hands and really see how it looks and feels before i buy it.
> ...


I wouldnt say that cobs are a temporary pipe. I only have one and love it but if you treat it right it will last you hundreds of smokes no problem. They are just nice because if you do happen to smoke it wrong or treat it badly it isnt a huge loss.


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## Leucrocotta (Dec 11, 2011)

Made in Italy or whatever doesn't mean much. My basket has that, it also has a fairly major flaw in the draw hole alignment that results in a very gurgly smoke with an off taste. You've already been given all the advice I know of when if comes to quality. Its all about craftsmanship, not the stamps. I can't help but wish to steer you away from baskets until you get an eye for quality.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

mmiller said:


> I wouldnt say that cobs are a temporary pipe. I only have one and love it but if you treat it right it will last you hundreds of smokes no problem. They are just nice because if you do happen to smoke it wrong or treat it badly it isnt a huge loss.


"Temporary" is a bit strong. I have six "active" cobs and a few of them have hundreds of smokes and going strong. I did break one once, dropping it in the driveway and cracking it, but they seem at least quasi-permanent. You could get twenty of them for the price of a basic new briar; with a little care, smoked once or twice a week each they'd last for years. As one of our missing members once said (DSturg369), "Treat them like trash and they'll be trash."


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## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

To the OP: A basket pipe is a gamble. You might get a great pipe or you might get a dog. A Dr Grabow is what it is, not great but not horrible. There is a consistency with them that you don't get with basket pipes so if that is the choice, the question you have to ask yourself is "Do I feel lucky?"


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## TommyTree (Jan 7, 2012)

I have cobs that are older than I am. Beater pipes don't last no matter what they're made of. A cherished pipe always will.

As for Grabow or basket pipe, it's almost never works to go down the ladder. Granted, you're not far up it with Grabows, but the next step up might be an option, which I would say is Kaywoodie. Others here are absolutely right about estate pipes, though. For the price of a new Grabow, you could get an estate Savinelli, Stanwell or GBD and be absolutely thrilled with it. If you can't bring yourself to buy cobs (of which you could get three to six for the price of one Grabow), an estate is the way to go.


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## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

Fordun said:


> As for ordering online ive ruled that out since id rather go to the shop and hold the pipe in my hands and really see how it looks and feels before i buy it.


Always preferable, but good luck with that. Unless you happen to live in a town with a very large tobacconist that also sells a lot of pipes online you're unlikely to find much inventory. They're also going to have a much bigger mark-up on the pipes at a physical location. The big online retailers have very good return/exchange policies, and generally their photos are accurate. If you limit yourself to brick/mortar stores you'll always have limited choices in today's pipe world.


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